FIRST CLASS SPORT

Reports: Barcelona Striker Agrees Arsenal Move

Reports have suggested that Barcelona youngster Tonny Sanabria is close to completing a deal to join the Premier League leaders Arsenal.

TalkSport reveal that the 17-year-old Paraguayan has rejected a new contract offer from Barcelona and is now looking for a move away from the Nou Camp in January.

Spanish newspaper El Mundo Deportivo have suggested he has already come to a verbal agreement with one club, with Arsenal the most likely, although Roma are also said to be in the mix.

The Paraguayan international has a release clause of £2.5million in his current contract, which would rise to £4.2million if additional clauses are met following his move.

The young Barcelona striker is yet to make a senior appearance for the Spanish champions but has netted twice for the second team in the Segunda Division.

Sanabria caught the attention of several top teams at the back end of last season as he scored six goals in eight matches for the Paraguay U17s in the Sudamericano.

Chelsea and Manchester Clubs on Alert as Portugal U20 World Cup Star Considers Future

Sporting Lisbon winger Bruma has revealed he is considering his future at the Portuguese club. The 18 year old forward was part of the Portugal squad for the 2013 FIFA U20 World Cup in Turkey and impressed, scoring five times in four games.

The youngster has been linked with moves to Chelsea and both Manchester clubs this summer, with the Express suggesting Jose Mourinho and the Blues may be in pole position to sign the player. Manchester City, according to talkSPORT, have already had a £4m bid rejected.

Bruma, for his part, has confirmed that he is aware of the interest in his services and will consider his future after returning to Lisbon. The winger is presently on holiday after Portugal were eliminated from the U20 World Cup by Ghana.


"I will talk with my lawyer when I arrive in Lisbon to see what he has to tell me. I am calm. I want to keep working and growing as a player," he told Antena 1.

Sporting's position is likely to be compromised by the fact Bruma has only 12 months left on his contract. The winger, who has earned comparisons with Real Madrid and former Manchester United star Cristiano Ronaldo, has not agreed a deal as yet, meaning any transfer fee (assuming he moves this summer) will probably be a low one.

Meanwhile, speaking to FIFA, Bruma revealed he has matured over the years and is serious when he has the ball at his feet. He praised former manager Jesualdo Ferreira [Sporting's coach at the time], who guided and helped him grow as a player.

"The last few years have been important in my development. I didn't have the right attitude but I think I've improved. All I wanted to do was dribble, do nutmegs and flick the ball over people's heads. Then I began to realise I had to take things more seriously," he said.

"I remember my head would usually go down when something didn't come off but I was told not to give up and that my time would come. Jesualdo was very important. He was like a father. He brought me into the first team and since then I've taken on older players and taken quite a few hits. That's why I think I've learned and got used to things, and it's made a big difference for me now," he added.

Latest transfer news and update

• A fresh bid from Paris St-Germain for Napoli striker Edinson Cavani could force Chelsea to increase their offer for the 27-year-old to £53m.

• However, it is also rumoured that PSG's new offer has put Chelsea off the Uruguayan, with Jose Mourinho intent on pursuing Manchester United striker Wayne Rooney, 27, and Borussia Dortmund's 24-year-old forward Robert Lewandowski.

• AC Milan have insisted that 20-year-old striker Stephan El Shaarawy, linked with a move to Chelsea this summer, will remain at the San Siro.

• Real Madrid are set to battle Chelsea for the signature of Benfica midfielder Nemanja Matic. The 24-year-old has blossomed since leaving Stamford Bridge in 2011 as part of the deal that saw David Luiz head to the west London club.

• Liverpool face competition from Champions League runners-up Borussia Dortmund to sign Armenian midfielder Henrik Mkhitaryan, 24, from Shakhtar Donetsk.

• PSV Eindhoven say Manchester United midfield target Kevin Strootman, 23, has committed himself to spending another season at the Dutch club, according to PSV's technical manager.

• West Ham and Swansea are battling it out for the signature of Vitesse Arnhem's Wilfried Bony, 24, after the Londoners matched the Welsh club's £10.2m bid for the striker.

• Cardiff City are poised to make an £11m offer to Celtic for Kenyan midfielder Victor Wanayama, 21.

• Joe Kinnear marked his first day as Newcastle's director of football by arranging to sell midfielder James Perch, 27, to Wigan for £700,000.

• AZ Alkmaar have rejected a bid from Sunderland for American striker Jozy Altidore, 20, who has scored 31 goals in 41 appearances for the Dutch club.

• And Sunderland's attempt to sign the Inter Milan trio of Daniel Bessa, Alfred Duncan and Ibrahim Mbaye looks to be on hold until new coach Walter Mazzarri has assessed the players. Bessa and Duncan are 20-year-old midfielders, while Mbaye, 18, plays as a central defender.

• Chelsea have offered Sporting Lisbon around £12m for Portuguese winger Bruma, 18.

• Wayne Rooney still denies that he handed in a transfer request to Sir Alex Ferguson as the England international prepares for more talks with new Manchester United manager David Moyes.

• Former England manager Steve McClaren, who has joined the coaching team at QPR, has hopes of becoming the England Under-21 boss in the future.

• Veteran striker Kevin Phillips, 39, insists that he wants to stay at Crystal Palace for his final season in football after helping the south London club back into the Premier League.

• Everton left-back Leighton Baines ignored the speculation surrounding his future, which has linked the 28-year-old with a move to Manchester United, by spending the weekend at the Glastonbury festival.

• Atletico Mineiro forward Ronaldinho says the month-long break in the domestic calendar due to the Confederations Cup has intensified his desire to win the Copa Libertadores.

Ronaldinho told the club's official channel: "We've been missing the ball.
"The break has come at a good time. We will all come back keener to play and reach the final, but the game on Wednesday will be like another final. It will be the hardest game we have played."

• Tottenham midfielder Sandro has welcomed the imminent arrival of Paulinho and is certain that the new addition will help Spurs challenge for Champions League football next season.


• Lionel Messi believes Neymar is the perfect signing for Barcelona as they bid to retain La Liga and conquer Europe next season.

"I'm sure he will be a good signing for what we want to achieve," he told reporters.
“Hopefully Neymar can make a big contribution to Barcelona and can continue to demonstrate the sort of performances that he's showed for Brazil and Santos."

• ARSENAL have targeted England’s Gareth Barry.
The Gunners have been checking out Barry’s position at Manchester City — where he has a year left to run on his £100,000-a-week deal.
Arsenal would not match those wages and do not necessarily see the 32-year-old as a regular starter.
But they could put a two-year deal on the table on lower terms which may interest Barry.

• WAYNE ROONEY wants to quit Old Trafford.
That was the sensational claim last night from Alex Ferguson’s trusted Manchester United assistant Mike Phelan, who has blown the lid off the Rooney saga.
Ferguson claimed England striker Rooney had asked to leave the club for a second time when he dropped him at the end of last season.
And Phelan, Fergie’s former No 2, said: “Wayne is at the greatest club you can be at.
“Why would you want to jeopardise that, unless you want a fresh challenge and you feel that challenge isn’t being met at Manchester United.”
He added: “Somewhere down the line there will be words said, there will be meetings. They’ll see if it’s still alive and worth going for or they’ll call time on it.”
Arsenal, Chelsea, Barcelona and Paris Saint-Germain are all watching the situation closely and waiting with £25million bids.

Barcelona are having the final talks
with Thiago Alcantara in an
attempt to persuade the 22-year-
old to stay in Spain after
Manchester United have reportedly
agreed on a £5.5m-a-year deal for
the Spanish midfielder.
Thiago is currently on a holiday
and it is believed that his father
and his agent will be talking to the
Barcelona representatives and they
are expected to tell Barcelona that
Thiago wants to leave Nou Camp
for Old Trafford.

Ranking of World's Best Football Tournaments

1. The FIFA World Cup

2. The UEFA Champions League

3. The UEFA European Championship

4. Copa America

5. Copa Libertadores

6. The UEFA Europa League

7. Africa Cup of Nations

8. The FA Cup

9. The Confederations Cup

10. Copa del Rey...

Italy team to face Spain: Buffon; Barzagli, Bonucci, Chiellini; Maggio, De Rossi, Pirlo, Giaccherini; Candreva, Marchisio; Gilardino
Spain team face Italy: Casillas; Arbeloa, Pique, Ramos, Jordi Alba; Busquets; Pedro, Xavi, Iniesta, Silva; Torres.

Olympique de Marseille midfielder Joey Barton has hit out at his team-mates at parent club QPR in a foul-mouthed Twitter rant after the west London outfit were relegated from the Premier League.

Barton, who is currently on loan at the Ligue 1 club, had wished his parent club good luck earlier in the day but declared that the players signed by Mark Hughes had let the club down after their 0-0 draw with Reading.

The Englishman took exception to Jose Bosingwa's post-match behaviour and branded members of the squad "maggots" and "w*nkers", warning of a struggle in the Championship if they did not undertake a summer clear-out.

"I can't believe QPR have just been relegated and Boswinga was walking down the tunnel laughing! Embarrassing," he posted on his Twitter account. "Show some guts man.

"Gutted for the club. To many w*nkers amongst the playing staff. All brought in by Hughes. Some good lads but not enough. Too many maggots.

"Hope they can get a load out, if not they'll end up in a Wolves situation because trust me that Championship is a f*cking hard league!"

Arsene Wenger will face renewed calls to splash out on new signings after Arsenal announced a pre-tax profit of STG17.8 million ($A26.23 million) in their half-yearly financial results on Monday.

Wenger has been criticised repeatedly in recent years for failing to spend big money on new players while Arsenal's results on the field continue to suffer.

The Premier League club's latest healthy financial report, to the end of November 2012, will only add to the pressure on the Gunners' boss to loosen the purse strings after eight years without a trophy and embarrassing exits from the FA and League Cups against lower league opposition this season.

The profit, down on STG49.5 million ($A72.95 million) for 2011 and achieved by the STG24 million ($A35.37 million) sale of Robin van Persie to Manchester United, accompanies an increased figure of STG123.3 million ($A181.71 million) in cash reserves.

The Arsenal Supporters' Trust (AST) claimed the figures highlight the need for the club to spend more money on the team.

'Arsenal fans have contributed to this financial health through paying some of the highest ticket prices in world football. AST members want to see this money used for more, and better, investment in the team,' an AST spokesman said.

However, rather than promise to break the bank of star players, Arsenal chairman Peter Hill-Wood insisted financial stability was the foundation of their regular presence in the Premier League's top four and the Champions League.

'Our desire is to make everyone connected with Arsenal proud of the club. We know that comes through winning trophies but also through the way we do things and that will remain our constant guide,' Hill-Wood said